Zips Offer Top WPa QB

[Captain Kangaroo]

Players to Watch: Perry's standout QB gets the last laugh

One in a series on top high school football players in the WPIAL and City League.

Wednesday, August 17, 2005

By Mike White, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The first day of Perry's varsity football practice three years ago, coaches separated the players by position, and freshmen were told to go to the position they wanted to play. Desmond Brentley went with the quarterbacks.

Perry quarterbacks coach Brian Schipani took one look at the small, rotund Brentley and tried to hold back his laughter. He was more like Desmond Portly instead of Desmond Brentley.

"I didn't have the body of the typical quarterback. I was a lot fatter. Chubby," Brentley said. "I remember coach Schipani looked at me and said, 'Dude, get out of here. You ain't no quarterback.' "

But Brentley convinced Schipani to let him at least try to be a quarterback. It turned out this "dude" was no dud.

"He let me stay for drills and he saw my arm strength and my feet," Brentley said. "Then he said, 'OK, maybe we have something here.' "

Three years later, Brentley is still a quarterback -- and now one of the best in Western Pennsylvania.

He is still big, but you couldn't call him chubby anymore. He is a 6-foot-3, 228-pound senior and the pride of the City League.

He has Division I scholarship offers from Akron and Temple, and other schools are showing interest.

"We started having workouts Jan. 2 and he never missed one," Perry coach Bill Gallagher said.

"He's increased his foot speed, his arm strength and he's changed his body around in the weight room."

Brentley burst on the scene a year ago, completing 141 of 256 passes for 2,118 yards and 20 touchdowns. He made the Post-Gazette Fabulous 22.

He comes into his senior year guiding an offense that is expected to rocket through the City League and help the Commodores win a sixth consecutive championship. Besides Brentley, Perry returns its two leading rushers (Jared Williams and Aaron Bivins) and its two leading receivers (Aundre Wright and Gary Nolen).

"With all the weapons we have, there's no reason I can't pass for more yardage than last season," said Brentley, whose father, Mark Sr., is a member of the school board for Pittsburgh Public Schools. "But I want to win the City League first and a state championship. We always seem to get so far in the state playoffs, but we can't get over that hump. It's important this year that we get over that hump."

Brentley credits much of his success to Schipani, a former Upper St. Clair and University of Cincinnati quarterback.

Gallagher believes more Division I college offers could come Brentley's way with another good season. West Virginia and Pitt have been showing interest. Brentley visited Pitt a few weeks ago.

"They told me to wait and see what happens," Brentley said.

But it would seem unlikely for the Panthers to offer a scholarship now that they have verbal commitments from two other high school quarterbacks -- Kevan Smith of Seneca Valley and Dexter Davidson of Coconut Creek, Fla.

"His arm strength has really been opening up some eyes," Gallaghter said. "I think once more colleges see him, they'll like him."